By Devin Heroux
The 100th Canadian men’s curling championship — commonly referred to as the Brier — is running back to Saskatoon.
Curling Canada announced Monday morning in the prairie province that the Brier will be held at the SaskTel Centre, Feb. 26 to March 7, 2027.
This marks the seventh time Saskatoon is hosting the storied event. The last time it was held in Paris of the Prairies was in 2012 — the other times were in 1946, 1965, 1989, 2000 and 2004.
And when the Brier has been hosted in Saskatoon, it’s been very well-attended. In fact, the second-highest attendance for the event happened in 2000 when 248,793 spectators took in the curling throughout that Saskatoon Brier.
That Brier championship game 21 years ago is still widely regarded as one of the best finals ever, with Nova Scotia’s Mark Dacey stunning Alberta’s Randy Ferbey rink in the last end. A capacity crowd in Saskatoon roared when Dacey scored three in the 10th end to win the title.
The first-ever Brier was held at the Granite Curling Club in Toronto in March 1927. In that inaugural event, there were eight teams competing, represented by Western Canada, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Northern Ontario, Toronto and Montreal.
Games were 14 ends long, and each team played each other once in a seven-game round-robin with no playoffs. In the end, it was Nova Scotia who came away with the first title.
The Canadian men’s championship has been held every March since then.
Throughout the years, fans have been treated to some of the best curling on the planet each March. With representation coming from every province and territory now, it truly is a national celebration.
Alberta has won more titles than any other province or territory with 29. The next closest is Manitoba with 27, followed by Ontario with 10.
Saskatchewan is behind those three provinces in fourth place with seven Brier titles. However, the 2027 host province is mired in a 45-year Brier drought, having not won the Tankard since Rick Folk did it in 1980.
The locals attending the 100th Brier celebrations would love to see that lengthy streak snapped in Saskatoon.
